Deconstructing the Dead: Skeptic Michael Shermer, in Scientific American: ” A well-known illusion… is the alleged ability of mediums to talk to the

dead. The hottest medium today is former ballroom-dance instructor John Edward, star of the

cable television series Crossing Over and author of the New York Times best-selling book One

Last Time. His show is so popular that he is about to be syndicated nationally on many

broadcast stations.

How does Edward appear to talk to the dead? What he does seems indistinguishable from

tricks practiced by magicians. He starts by selecting a section of the studio audience, saying

something like “I’m getting a George over here. George could be someone who passed over,

he could be someone here, he could be someone you know,” and so on. Of course, such generalizations lead to a “hit.” Once

he has targeted his subject, the “reading” begins, seemingly using three techniques…